Short takes: Kids' books

Reviewed by MARGIE THOMSON


Lloyd Jones, illustrated by Graeme Gash: Napoleon and the Chicken Farmer

We all at times wish for another's life but, as Manoli the chicken farmer discovers in this gorgeously illustrated book for children, you should be careful what you wish for. When he stops being a chicken farmer and instead tries to become Napoleon Bonaparte, village life falls apart, and the real Bonaparte must intervene. Set in Corsica, this warmly funny morality tale will delight both its target audience, and the adults who read to them.

Mallinson Rendel, US$29.95

* * *

Margaret Beames, illustrated by Sue Hitchcock: Oliver's Party

Beames' Oliver in the Garden won both the New Zealand Post Picture Book of the Year and Children's Choice Award in 2001. As in that book, children aged around 7 and under love the combination of Beames' ability to take a cat's eye view of the world, where there's adventure in every twitch and rustle, with Hitchcock's wildly active illustrations, adding up to vivid, charming storytelling. The colour palette is brighter this time, as befits the children's party setting, and this time it's balloons, wrapping paper and party food that prove Oliver's nemesis.

Scholastic, US$24.99 or US$15.99

* * *

Murray Ball: Fred the (Quite) Brave Mouse

Following the untimely demise of first his mother, eaten by an owl, and then his father, drowned in a jug of milk, Fred Mouse sets off into the world in pursuit of his dream: to find a she-mouse to share his cosy hole. A night of adventure ensues and he is finally torn between feisty Matilda, and a sexy little white mouse. Very silly and incredibly dramatic, with comic illustrations that are virtually standalone, this is classic Ball.

Scholastic, US$24.99

* * *

Catherine Hannken, illustrated by Trish Bowles: Selafina

Selafina practises the siva so that she can dance it for her beloved grandmother, who is about to return from Samoa. The story is a simple one, yet it's surprisingly intense and moving. It's a good reminder that the emotions of childhood are as heart-felt as in the adult world, and that it's in the realm of family life, especially multicultural families, that the richest stories and experiences are to be found.

Mallinson Rendel, US$24.95

* * *

Philip Pullman: Lyra's Oxford

The perfect stockingfiller for fans of Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, this curious little volume is set beyond the ending of The Amber Spyglass, in Lyra's home town of Oxford. This is the Oxford of Brytain, where a witch's daemon flies into a screeching flock of birds on its way to find Lyra. Pullman is, as always, concerned with the meaning of things - "Everything has a meaning, if only we could read it," a character observes - and ephemera, which probably means more than it seems, abounds. The book is a delight: more than just story, it contains a map, and all sorts of extraneous matter such as a postcard and advertisements that may or may not mean something in this book or in future ones, Pullman says.

David Fickling, US$26.95

* * *

Lian Hearn: Grass for his Pillow

In this sequel to last year's popular Across The Nightingale Floor, set in a fantasy's medieval Japan, the writing becomes slightly moodier and characters gain in depth. Tacky is pledged to the secret Tribe on pain of death and must deny his love for Cadge as he traverses his path of danger, hardship and sacrifice. Cadge, the pawn of a ruthless warlord, must use her intelligence to assert her place in a world of powerful men.

Adder, $29.99